Silliness
by Ellenarnia
Summary: "I don't want any silliness from your nurses"
1. Chapter 1

_I've been a little quiet on this front to I thought I would write a little quick two shot. I was watching the first episode this afternoon and this came to me._

Silliness

Chapter 1

"_I don't want any silliness from your nurses" _

The words echoed in Grace's head.

"Thank you Marshall. I'll see that this childish behaviour is sorted out. Just remember that you shouldn't take any of this teasing too seriously."

Poor Flora Marshall had been close to tears when she had turned up at Matron Carter's office. Seeing her this way made Grace feel sorry for the young volunteer. She truly did try her best and wanted to please and had been ridiculed and tricked for it. A sweet cup of tea and a shoulder to cry on was what she had needed. After she had calmed Grace had asked her what was wrong and with gentle coaxing Flora had come out of her shell. As Flora had recounted her story, Grace's anger had flared up. The VAD's were, as Roland had said, here to help and seeing them treated as children seemed to defeat that fact. Marshall was brave but she couldn't handle everything alone. She had put on a face to please her colleagues and tried to act older than she truly was but underneath it was easy for her to be hurt and emotionally wounded.

"Thank you Matron, I'm sorry for being such a child about it." Flora apologised, the reprimands she had been given made her think that she was always in the wrong.

Grace smiled at the young girl "Marshall none of this is your fault. If anyone is to blame it is Corporal Foley and the others who have teased you. Don't blame yourself."

"Yes, Matron. You won't tell anyone, that I've told you, will you? It's just, if people find out they might treat me as a sneak, and then I would have fewer friends than I already have. Working with them would become rather difficult, if they thought I ran to someone at the first sign of trouble. They wouldn't trust me, you see."

"I promise you I won't tell anyone that I don't need to. I will have to report this to Colonel Brett and I will assure you that he will keep this strictly confidential."

Flora still looked worried, so Grace tried again.

"Marshall, I can tell you that nobody will know that this conversation has even happened."

At this she seemed assured and smiled.

Grace nodded to her, and she took her leave. Once the door had shut on the office, Grace sighed to herself. She felt for Marshall, she really did and knew why the men bullied her. It was because she was innocent. It was something that many people would have envied. Her innocence protected her from the cruel reality around her. She rose from the desk and headed, to Roland's office.

She rapped on the door sharply and waited for him to give her permission to enter. She was used to entering without his permission but thought that she should do this officially, and to keep up pretence. After several moments, with no response, she knocked again, louder this time. Still she got no response. Finally she entered his office. She was greeted by the sight of him sleeping at his desk. She went up to him, and knocked her knuckle sharply against his desk. He was a deep sleeper.

"Roland, wake up!" she shouted, while shaking him lightly by the shoulder, to try and wake him.

He still slept on, with a pillow of paperwork to cushion his head.

There was nothing for it, Grace thought, she would have to tickle him until he woke. She knew, that there was one spot on his neck, where he extremely ticklish. She lightly brushed her fingers against the base of his neck and trailed them up until she found the spot. He squirmed under her touch and his shoulders tensed, but he didn't lift his head from the desk. Grace tried again and heightened the pressure of her fingers. She kept trying until she was properly tickling him. By the time he woke up she was using both hands. He moaned as he lifted his head.

"Grace, why did you have to wake me?" He groaned

"Roland, it's the middle of the day. That isn't the traditional time for sleep." Grace commented as she set out making some tea to properly wake him up.

He rose from the desk and walked to the stove, where she was standing and laced his arms around her waist.

"Well my dear, if you didn't keep me up half the night, I would be able to keep my eyes open during the day." He murmured pressing a kiss against her shoulder.

She blushed slightly at the memory of the previous night

"I am here for a serious reason, you know."

"And here I was, thinking you came to see me because you missed me."

She turned in his arms and smiled "Of course I miss you, I miss you throughout the day. The question is, do you miss me?"

"Do you doubt that I do?" he asked looking into her eyes

She frowned at him in exasperation "Why must you answer a question, with another question, you ridiculous man?"

"Well excuse me, you've just gone onto a different topic, by using a question."

"This is becoming silly now." She sighed in annoyance "You, go back to your desk and do your paperwork and I, will bring you a cup of tea."

He placed a quick kiss on her nose and went back to his desk.

"What is this serious reason you came to talk to me for, then?" he asked as she brought the tea over

Grace sat down over the desk from him.

"I wanted to talk to you about your surgeons and the orderly's, especially Corporal Foley and Captain Hesketh-Thorne."

"Oh, yes? Sounds like an unlikely combination but go ahead."

"Well, they've been making fun of young Marshall." She admitted

"Well is suppose, that it is just a folly. It will all blow over." He dismissed

"Roland, this is serious." Grace wasn't going to let him get away that easily "You told me when they started here, that you didn't want any silliness from the nurses. You said that they shouldn't give the volunteers a hard time."

"Well that was the nursing staf-" he started but she cut him off before he could continue

"How is this any different?!"

"Well…the VAD's they're….they do…." He struggled to find an answer

Grace sat back and looked at him as he struggled to find an answer. His frown deepened as he saw the smug smile on her face.

"This is nothing, that's what you really think isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose I do, but that's because the VAD's are tough." He tried to convince her.

"Fine if you won't do anything about it, I will!"

With that Grace rose from the desk and stormed out slamming the door behind her.

_Please Review and tell me what you think_


	2. Chapter 2

I couldn't get this to you yesterday, sorry about that. Me and the family watched Saving Mr Banks. Anyone seen it? It's a nice film but I cried through the last 10 minutes of it, emotional idiot I am. Anyway here is little chapter the two.

Silliness

Chapter 2

Roland sighed as the office door slammed shut behind his Grace. He knew that she was right. He probably should reprimand them and tell them not to be cruel to poor Marshall. He had seen how she put on a brave face against what was said to her, and knew that if Grace had been told about it then it was probably becoming too much for Flora to take. She was an innocent and sweet girl, he thought and he knew that her innocence would protect her against what was said about her. The minute he had met her he knew that she was too young to be here. He also saw that Grace had noticed, the way that she looked like she wanted to protect her, yet still she didn't say anything. He kept quiet on the subject. If Grace thought that she was good enough to stay on then who was he to interfere.

Rising from the desk with a sigh, he cleared away the discarded tea cups and set about starting some of his paperwork, hoping to get through it all as quickly as possible before Grace got a chance to find Corporal Foley and Captain Hesketh-Thorne. Luckily all he had was ward reports to read. He never properly read them, only skimming them for any major detail. Before long he had finished and started across the compound to find Miles. He found him dozing in a chair, next to his and Tom's Chess set and table, at the edge of the wood. He had a book resting on his chest that moved gently in time with his breathing. Roland picked up the book putting it back down, squarely in the middle of the chess board. The boy stirred for a moment before opening his eyes.

"Sir, I was only taking a quick break, you know." He looked up at Roland with all the innocence he could muster

"So I can see. If it's not too much trouble I would like a word."

"Of course sir. What about?"

"Go to my office, and I will talk to you there."

"Can I just finish this page?" he asked but the look that he received certainly indicated a no "Yes sir." Miles jumped up quickly, grabbing his discarded hat and set off towards the offices

Roland then set off towards the wards. If he found Peter then he could give them a light lecture together and have it over and done with, as quickly as possible. It would also be to his benefit because Grace would no longer be angry with him.

Grace meanwhile was fuming about the fact that Roland wouldn't do anything about this. He was adamant that the nurses couldn't treat the VAD's horribly, but he was happy to let it go, when it was any of the male staff. She looked through the wards for Corporal Foley, with a fierce determination that many of the nurses knew all too well. She found him talking to one of the patients. He was a young Private, who had come in filled with small pieces of shrapnel. Thankfully the surgeons managed to remove most of it.

"Corporal Foley, I would like a word with you." Her voice betrayed much of the annoyance that she had tried to keep under the surface

"Well Matron, I am rather busy."

"Oh yes, and that is why you have the time to talk to patients." The anger she had displayed in Roland's office was rising once again.

"Sorry Matron, but the lad just needed someone to talk too."

"There are nurses here and he has the other men around him to speak too."

"Yes Matron, of course but-" She cut him off before he could finish

"Corporal, I came here to summon you to my office and make you tell me why you have be treating the Volunteers as silly young girls." Her voice was dangerously low now "I am near to the point, where I am thinking a valid option is to shout at you in front of this whole ward. My office Corporal, now."

He didn't dare disobey her and walked quickly out of the ward towards her office. Grace took a deep breath before following after him. She had wanted to give both Corporal Foley and Captain Hesketh-Thorne a reprimand but she knew she had no control over the surgeons. She would have liked Roland to reprimand them both but if she couldn't have that she would just have to settle with severely ticking one of them off.

Grace entered her office with a calmer demeanour than when she had left it. She sat down at the desk and told Peter to sit opposite.

"I want to talk you about how you have treated Nurse Marshall."

"That was just a bit of fun, Matron. Honest." He admitted

"A bit of fun? Do you think Marshall found it funny Corporal?"

He sat in silence looking down at the wooden boards, which made up the floor.

"Do you?" her voice grew louder, close to a shout now.

"Well she pretty annoyed afterwards." He said with a slight shrug

"She came to me in tears Foley. She is young, and can't always handle everything that you hit her with."

"Well, she was willing to do what we told her."

"That is because she wants to be useful and you took advantage of that."

Another pause

"You're her superior and should be trying to help her, not playing silly and childish tricks on her."

"Sorry Matron, it wasn't just me though. Captain Hesketh-Thorne and Sergeant Soper also played a part." He implored trying to shift some of the blame from himself

When Grace heard that Soper was involved, her anger returned with a new lease of life.

"I will be making sure that the Colonel reprimands them, just as I have reprimanded you. Now get back to your duties."

"Yes Matron."

Next door Miles was standing nervously in front of Roland's desk. Roland had returned without success, so he would just have to find Peter later.

"Do you have any idea why I asked to speak to you?"

"Because I was sleeping when I was supposed to be working." He guessed

"Apart from that."

"Has my work not been good enough, sir?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you because I have had a report from Matron, that you and Corporal Foley have been tricking Nurse Marshall."

"Oh…." He sighed

"I personally believe that this is just folly and childishness, but Matron believes that this silliness is more than that. I wanted to hear what you had to say about it?"

"It was just a folly and a childish prank as you said Sir. A little trick once in while doesn't hurt, does it?" the innocence returning to his features

"Just promise me you won't do anything so silly again, and please apologise to Marshall or Matron will be on the war path."

"I promise and of course I'll apologise to Marshall if it has affected her so." A smile lighting up his face as he left the office.

Later in the evening, Grace knocked on Roland's office door but didn't wait for permission to enter.

"I thought you would like to know, that I've done _your_ job and reprimanded Corporal Foley." Grace announced as she stood in front of Roland's desk wearing a look between annoyance and smugness.

"Oh, and why haven't you reprimanded Captain Hesketh-Thorne?"

"I don't have the authority to." she snapped "_You_ are supposed to control _your_ surgeons. You will also need to speak to Soper. He was partly responsible for this silliness."

"Grace that is all it is," Roland sighed in frustration "silliness between friends. Anyway I did speak to Miles, this afternoon. He says, that he is going to apologise to Marshall and he promised not to do anything, like this again. Does that satisfy you?"

He challenged her look of annoyance with an imploring one

"Oh, alright," she conceded, flopping into the chair opposite him "you win."

He smiled wearily at her.

"Do you think we can finish this morning's cup of tea?" he started over to the stove

"As long as you hold me like you did this morning."

"Who am I to deny a lady her wish?" he asked as he carried their tea over to the back of his office, where Grace had sat herself in one of armchairs. Roland placed the tea on a small table next to them and sat opposite her.

"Come, sit with me sweetheart." He extended his arms to her and she walked gratefully into them, sitting on his lap and resting her forehead against his. They were both silent for a moment, just enjoying the others company.

"Shall we put today, down to silliness darling?" he asked quietly, nuzzling her neck

"I think that would be best." She said before raising his mouth to hers for a kiss, leaving the tea quite forgotten

End

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